Andrea Cashin and Amanda Wells, both seventh-graders at Londonderry Middle School, take measurements from a water-filled sponge during the “Toga Tuesday” event at their school. Students put their recent history, science and mathematics lessons into practice this week, where they applied their recent knowledge while reenacting Greek history.
APRIL GUILMET

Toga Tuesday

Londonderry kids learn while doing on Toga Tuesday

By APRIL GUILMETUnion Leader Correspondent

LONDONDERRY — Learning lessons in math, science and history was "all Greek" to a group of Londonderry seventh-graders Tuesday afternoon, when the students donned handmade togas to partake in "Toga Tuesday."

.About 110 Londonderry Middle School students, all members of the school's Typhoon Team, took part in the program.

Students and teachers alike enjoyed getting into costume, where they competed in a variety of Olympic-style activities, with the seventh-graders divided into "city-state" teams...Over the course of the afternoon each "Olympian" had the chance to throw a paper-plate discus, a javelin fashioned from drinking straws and a shot put made out of cotton balls, before competing in the indoor high jump, left-handed sponge squeeze and right-handed marble grab...Staff member Susan Rouse said this week's festivities tie in nicely to the students' current curriculum, with the preteens learning about Roman numerals and metrics and having fun at the same time.

The afternoon concluded with a film on Greek mythology and an awards ceremony complete with medals, Rouse said...Teacher Heather Noon said there were plenty of lessons to be learned as her students took a gander at their athletic abilities prior before the games' commencement.

"They're estimating and they're measuring," Noon said. "They're measuring the volume of water contained in a sponge. And they're learning it's not always easy."..aguilmet@newstote.com..